CIA Drone Strike Kills al Qaeda Leader Ayman al-Zawahiri
Zawahiri was a central planner of the 9/11 attacks who took over the terrorist organization after U.S. troops killed Osama bin Laden.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, right, sits with Osama bin Laden shortly after the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Both al-Qaeda terrorist leaders are now reported to be dead.
Update: In an address Monday night President Joe Biden confirmed al-Zawahiri was killed Saturday in a CIA drone strike.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the most wanted terrorists in world history and a central planner of the 9/11 attacks, is reportedly dead.
Fox News, The Associated Press and numerous media outlets report that a CIA drone strike took out Zawahiri in Afghanistan this past weekend. President Joe Biden was expected to announce the news in a Monday night address from the White House.
Two US intelligence sources tell @BretBaier that the target of the US drone strike in Afghanistan was Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri, Bin Laden's #2. Zawahiri was allegedly killed in the drone strike. President Biden will speak from the White House at 7:30 pm.
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) August 1, 2022
“The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties,” a source told Fox News on Monday afternoon without initially confirming Zawahiri’s name.
If reports of al-Zawahiri’s demise are accurate, the world is rid of a mass murderer who had been butchering civilians for decades while hiding in caves and using his radical Islamic ideology as an excuse. While he became al-Qaeda’s leader in 2011 after his friend and fellow terrorist Osama bin Laden was brought to justice by brave U.S. troops in Pakistan, Zawahiri had been deeply involved in major terrorist attacks, including 9/11, for decades. Like bin Laden, Zawahiri was a killer and a coward who finally got what he deserved after spending the end of his life on the run.
Thank you to our nation’s remarkable intelligence officers and leaders for eliminating this grave threat to freedom, security and peace. We also thank our selfless military troops and their families for setting the stage for this moment by valiantly fighting terrorism in Afghanistan for two decades.
Tom Sileo is a contributing senior editor of The Stream. He is author of the forthcoming Be Bold and co-author of Three Wise Men, Brothers Forever, 8 Seconds of Courage and Fire in My Eyes. Follow Tom on Twitter @TSileo and The Stream at @Streamdotorg.
